Forbidden
by artyfan
Summary: She was a mistake. She wasn't supposed to exist. Because of someone else's mistake, she could never live her life. My way of mocking Mary Sues and a certain type of fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

**I really hate all these daughter of Artemis stories, so this is my way of making fun of them. Let the chaos ensue. This is NOT intended to be a serious story. Neither is the main character supposed to be a good one. She is an intentional Mary Sue. I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this.**

My name is Atalanta. I'm a demigod. And what's more, I was never supposed to exist.

You see, I'm a daughter of Artemis. I'm guessing most of you will be thinking, _Wait. How is that possible? _Patience is a virtue that you should practice.

About four thousand years ago, my mother fell in love with a man. Just a mortal man. A hunter named Orion. Sound familiar? Yeah. I thought so. He was my father. Artemis had hidden me from the rest of the Olympians for all that time.

Artemis is not a motherly person. She cares a lot more about her Hunters than me. Probably because they weren't mistakes, people who were never supposed to born. I would have been treated just as well as them if I had accepted the choice she gave me on my thirteenth birthday. She invited me to join the Hunt.

I considered it, but I said no in the end. Wandering around the country and hunting monsters didn't seem like much of a life to me. What was the point, the purpose? All that it would do for me would be freeing me from the need to hide.

Three years later, my mother gave me another option. Immortality. I accepted. Probably the worst decision I've ever made. Now I wander around, doing pretty much whatever I please. I should have joined my mother and become a Hunter.

I rubbed my temples, pushing strands of dark hair out of my silvery eyes. Thoughts of Thalia, my "aunt" drifted into my brain. She had joined the Hunt about a year ago. I had been saddened. I had felt like we were kindred spirits, neither of us supposed to be alive.

Immortals can fade, or spend eternity in an agony to powerful to comprehend. People who _became _immortal are a different story. Worse things can happen to them. Much worse. And I had a feeling something like that would happen to me.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this.**

My name is Atalanta. I'm a demigod. And what's more, I was never supposed to exist.

You see, I'm a daughter of Artemis. I'm guessing most of you will be thinking, _Wait. How is that possible? _Patience is a virtue that you should practice.

About four thousand years ago, my mother fell in love with a man. Just a mortal man. A hunter named Orion. Sound familiar? Yeah. I thought so. He was my father. Artemis had hidden me from the rest of the Olympians for all that time.

Artemis is not a motherly person. She cares a lot more about her Hunters than me. Probably because they weren't mistakes, people who were never supposed to born. I would have been treated just as well as them if I had accepted the choice she gave me on my thirteenth birthday. She invited me to join the Hunt.

I considered it, but I said no in the end. Wandering around the country and hunting monsters didn't seem like much of a life to me. What was the point, the purpose? All that it would do for me would be freeing me from the need to hide.

Three years later, my mother gave me another option. Immortality. I accepted. Probably the worst decision I've ever made. Now I wander around, doing pretty much whatever I please. I should have joined my mother and become a Hunter.

I rubbed my temples, pushing strands of dark hair out of my silvery eyes. Thoughts of Thalia, my "aunt" drifted into my brain. She had joined the Hunt about a year ago. I had been saddened. I had felt like we were kindred spirits, neither of us supposed to be alive.

Immortals can fade, or spend eternity in an agony to powerful to comprehend. People who _became _immortal are a different story. Worse things can happen to them. Much worse. And I had a feeling something like that would happen to me.

Snowflakes swirled around me, falling from the pale, wintery sky. I didn't feel cold. Immortality had drained some of my ability to feel. I could feel comfortable in any weather. It took a severe wound to hurt me.

The snowflakes settled in my hair, my eyelashes. They melted shortly after touching my exposed skin. I had no desire to move, despite the snow. I wrapped my arms around my knees, my eyes blank. Those eyes were the only feature I had that in any way resembled my mother.

I laughed softly, standing. The sound of my low voice surprised me. I rarely spoke nowadays. I had seen too many things, felt to many pains, known so many losses. Immortality isn't all fun and games.

Before my sixteenth birthday, I had been an ordinary mortal. Sure, I had remained hidden with a nymph for sixteen years, but I had still gone out, had friends. Before Mom gave me immortality, she told me it would be best to not speak with them anymore, socialize. Like any idiot, I didn't listen.

I still spent time with my friends. They couldn't tell the difference between me and them. A year passed. Then five. Then ten. Then thirty. They grew old and died. I didn't change. I still looked sixteen years old.

I walked toward the small cottage I lived in. It was a little farther from the edge of cliff I stood on than where I was now. All I really needed now was ambrosia and nectar. But it was a quirk of most people who became immortals to still crave mortal nourishment. I think I personally prefer it.

I pushed open my door. I never bothered locking it. I strode straight into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Comfort food. Drink. Whatever.

Five minutes later, I sat curled up on my armchair in the living room, clutching a mug between my slim hands. I took a drink, staring into the crackling flames in my fireplace.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. Is this going a bit too slowly? Are my chapters too short? I'll get on with the story now. Thanks to Artemis () and Zelda12343 for reviewing.**

I slowly walked in a valley near my home. The snow was deeper here, the air colder. Here I could almost feel human.

I could see dryads lurking behind trees, almost out of sight. Some stared at me, making no attempt to hide it. They were probably sure I couldn't see it. Those were the ones who knew my parentage. It wasn't commonly known, but there are always ways of finding something out. My eyes were a pretty big give-away. And it was clear to anyone that I'm not human.

Dryads are like me, like Mom, and like the Hunters when it comes to the way that they move. They don't make noise when they walk, and the snow helps them in that regard, rather than hinder them. That's why I froze the second I heard a footstep.

It wasn't loud, but it wasn't exactly quiet either. I whirled around.

A boy who looked about eleven had fallen clumsily on his face. He was clad in black with a short sword at his side. Demigod. I sized him up quickly. Despite the sword, he didn't look like too much of a threat. I had my hunting knife, and I was an immortal. What could he do to me?

That's when I saw his face. I caught my breath. I knew who he was. I had heard the rumours. I had seen people with those eyes before. This was the son of Hades. What was his name? Nick? Something like that.

He succeeded in standing. The boy brushed the snow of his clothes, then realized I was standing there. His eyes narrowed, his hand going to his sword. I raised an eyebrow at him.

We stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. He clearly couldn't tell I was an immortal. Then the kid's eyes widened and he tackled me, knocking me to the ground.

I landed hard. Spluttering, I pushed him away from me, whirling around. I nearly laughed at the sight. From this guy's reaction, I had expected something worse, like a Titan wielding an axe. Nope, just a hydra.

I yanked my hunting knife free and stabbed it. It exploded into dust. I stood up and turned back to the kid. Now he looked kind of embarrassed. Interesting.

I stowed my knife away, dusted my jeans clean, and offered him my hand. "Hi. I'm Atalanta."

"Nico," he replied slowly, taking my hand. Nico! That was it. I let go quickly.

"Nice meeting you," I said flatly, turning to leave. My voice was low, quiet. I walked away from Nico. I could imagine him staring at me in shock, surprised that I could just walk away like nothing had happened. Well, nothing _had _happened.

Little did I know, that one chance meeting would change my life forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this.**

_Beauty fades, _I thought, staring into the mirror with interest. _Even the beauty of an immortal._

I knew I was pretty. I had my mother's eyes, which I had to admit were captivating. But even though I would never look a day older than sixteen, the years had left their mark on me. My eyes were world weary, ancient. Anyone who looked at me would be able to tell I had been through more than your average teenager.

I glanced down at my hand. My fingers were clenched around the hilt of my hunting knife, so tightly my knuckles had gone white. I had been jumpy since I had arrived back home, but I hadn't figured out why until now.

This was the first time I had been attacked by a monster in millennia. I had no clue why I had been attacked.

I shook myself out of my stupor, my dark hair falling in front of my face. I strapped my knife back to my arm, striding into my living room. I plucked a book from one of the shelves and collapsed into my chair to read.

I read about three words before I groaned. Oh, gods. The Illiad. I set it down and stood up. That was it. I was gone.

I entered the bookstore. It was small and quiet, nearly empty. There were only a few people there except for me. I walked straight toward the humour section. I needed something light. I stopped dead in my tracks. I swore to myself.

I turned and walked out of the shop, doing my best to not rush. I forced myself to let my shoulders relax. No way. This was impossible. Not even my luck could be this bad. There was no way I could walk into a store in The Middle of Nowhere, Connecticut and run into _my mother. _What the hell was she doing here? This was a mortal bookstore. If she wanted to talk to me, which I doubted, she would have gone to my house.

I knew she could see me. She was a hunter. She was aware of her surroundings. I just hoped I could leave before she caught up.

I quickened my pace, letting my hair fall in front of my face, hoping against hope that she wouldn't recognize me. I exited the shop and turned down the street. I caught sight of Mom's reflection in the window of the store. Yup, she was coming. In her preferred form of a girl younger than me.

I slowed, then stopped. As much as I wanted to run, there was no point in it. Artemis caught up with me, falling into step next to me.

"Atalanta," she greeted me. There was no emotion in her voice. No trace of happiness or surprise or love. Why would there be? I was a mistake. A mistake that she had to live with

"Artemis," I replied. I hadn't called her _Mom_ to her face in millennia. I doubted she wanted to be reminded of the fact that she had broken her oath and had a child. "Been a while."

"So it has," she acknowledged, her voice devoid of guilt. Regular demigods didn't see their children much, but I saw her less than most. Much less. I was okay with that. After all the time I'd had to think about what I felt about her, I still didn't know.

She stopped walking and turned to face me. I was a few inches taller than her, but she had a way of staring at you that made you feel like she was staring down at you. She sighed as if she were tired, but she kept her gaze on me.

"Atalanta, we need your help," Artemis told me evenly. I managed to hide my surprise, merely raising an eyebrow at her. Artemis clarified. "Few of the gods agree with me, but we don't have enough force behind us in the war against the Titans. We need the help of every god and demigod we can muster. We need your help."

"Let me get this straight." I paused. "You want me to pose as a regular demigod and join the war effort against Kronos? Despite the fact that I haven't trained like any of the people at Camp Half Blood? What am I supposed to say about the parent thing?"

"Simply that you haven't been claimed," Artemis answered. I lifted my eyebrow again.

"No, Artemis. I'm not doing this. I'm not a tool or a pawn."

I didn't give her a chance to reply to that. I turned and walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. I think you might appreciate Nico's delightful OOCness in this chapter.**

The thing about refusing to do something for someone you know you should love? It sticks with you. You can't get your mind off it. You spend your time thinking about whether you should have said yes, done what they wanted.

The West represented some of the best things mankind ever did. I knew that. I had been told that. But no matter what, I couldn't pretend to be something I wasn't. I never said I was perfect, and frankly? Right now, the greater good didn't matter to me.

I viciously kicked at the snow in my path, scraping the dirt of the frozen ground. Why had I accepted immortality? If I had allowed nature to take its course, I would be long dead by now. I wouldn't have to worry about any of this.

"Atalanta," a quiet voice that sounded vaguely familiar rang out. My head jerked up as I whirled around.. I had been so lost in my thoughts that the Nico boy had managed to sneak up on me.

He stepped toward me. I took a half step back. He stopped approaching. His face was serious. He looked like he was having a hard time forcing out words. "I need your help."

I let out a short yip of startled laughter. "You need my help?"

"Yes," he grated. It was dark by now. He stepped into the moonlight where I would be able to see him clearly. Unnecessary. "There's a war coming. We need every demigod we can get. Do you know what this means to our world?"

"I do not appreciate condescension from anyone, let alone a child," I informed him quietly. "I am well aware of what this means. The war will come, yes. But..."

I trailed off. It was easy enough to say _no_ to my mother, even if I couldn't stop thinking about that one word after. It was harder to say the word to a fellow demigod. They were fighting for their lives, for everything they believed in. They were naïve, but they had something worth fighting for.

"Is it worth dying for?" I asked him. His fists clenched.

"It is. We're all willing to die before allowing Kronos to overthrow Olympus," he told me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You will die," I said flatly. I felt a pang of guilt. This boy honestly believed in what he was saying. "You don't have a chance. There's no point in trying to defend Olympus. Just step aside, and you might escape with your lives. Do the gods care about you, Nico?"

"That doesn't matter. They're still a better alternative to the world than the Titans," he snapped, not answering my question. "And some of the gods do care. Artemis cared enough about her Hunters. My sister died trying to find her. She wouldn't have done that for just anyone."

Ouch. Couldn't he have brought up another example? Why Artemis? I really didn't want to be reminded about the fact that she cared for her sisters in arms more than her own blood. Hermes cared. He could have used him, but _noo._

"Are you sure?" I shot back. "Maybe your sister was just an inherently good person. Her Hunters may think that Artemis is the most benevolent goddess on Earth, but I know better than that. She's fine with using people to get what she wants."

He didn't have an answer to that. We both fell silent for what felt like a long time. Thoughts swirled around my head at lightning speed. It was me who broke that silence.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll help out, Nico. But I want it made clear that I'm doing this for the demigods, not the gods."

I extended my hand. Nico shook it.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. Hey, Artemis get an account so I can reply to you.**

I walked next to Nico, my keen eyes noting the many eyes drifting our way. Nico didn't appear to notice them, but if he did, he paid them no attention. He was walking straight toward a building that was bigger than all the cabins.

"We need to find Chiron," he told me. He stopped suddenly. "Have you been here before?"

"No," I answered slowly, wondering why he would think that. He raised a sharp eyebrow and frowned, an expression that was mirrored on my face. "Why?"

"One, you look about sixteen. Not many people survive for that long on their own. Two, where did you learn to fight like that?" He stared at me expectantly. I kept my face blank, but I swore silently. How could I have been so stupid?

"That would be the children of the major gods," I lied smoothly, shrugging. There. He wouldn't guess Artemis. No sane person would. "And fight like what? All I did was turn around and stab the thing. It's not that hard."

He fell silent. We entered the house. There were two people playing cards. One was sitting in a wheelchair, and when I looked closely at the other one, I could tell he was a god. Not a minor one, either. Dionysus. I supposed the guy in the wheelchair was Chiron.

He set down his cards and turned to me and Nico. He looked at Nico with a slight frown, which only deepened when he looked at me. Dionysus sighed dramatically, in an obvious attempt to get Chiron to continue playing. Chiron ignored him.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Minor demigod," I offered hopefully, knowing he wouldn't fall for it. My aura was too strong. I was a daughter of Artemis. _The _daughter of Artemis. I was unique, and he wouldn't have seen anyone like me.

For some reason, he didn't question it, not even asking my parentage. I exhaled a sigh of relief, then caught my breath. Dionysus. He was an idiot, but he was a god. He would be able to tell I wasn't human.

Apparently, I overestimated him. He looked at me for a moment, then turned back to his cards. "Chiron, I believe it is your turn."

"Mr. D," Chiron prompted. Dionysus sighed and set down his hand.

"I really don't care who you are, but hello. Welcome to Camp Half Blood. Don't let little Death Boy rub off on you. Are you going to play, Chiron?"

"Yes, yes, Mr. D," Chiron agreed absentmindedly, still looking at me. "I take it that you know about the gods? The orientation video won't be necessary if you do."

"She does," Nico interjected. "We can go practice sword fighting in the area. Percy and Athena's cabin are there right now. She can learn from them."

I held back a sniff. I didn't need to learn from a group of kids. Probably wasn't a good idea to protest his comment, though.

* * *  
>I drew my knife. Annabeth's keen grey eyes examined the knife and my posture, my grip. Her gaze was slightly disconcerting, a tiny frown on her face, her stare intense.<p>

She attacked first. I raised my knife to block her strike. She was fast.

I feinted toward her left elbow, then whipped my blade around to her right hip. She barely managed to block it. Her stormy eyes narrowed. She started pushing me harder. I held back a smirk, dodging slash after slash and returning them just as quickly.

Annabeth stabbed at me. Getting bored of the fight, I caught the blade of Annabeth's knife on the hilt of my own. My hilt was right at the base of hers. I twisted. Her weapon fell to the ground with a clang.

Annabeth's eyes widened ever so slightly. She opened and closed her mouth. She shook her head, then knelt to retrieve her bronze dagger. When she straightened up, she looked at me with a newfound respect. She offered me her hand. I took it.

"Good job," I offered. The minute the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could snatch them back. How could I say something so utterly stupid?

Annabeth didn't take offence. She tilted her head to one side and looked at me, smiling slightly. She nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. **

Everyone has something in life that they cherish, hold close to them, for any reason. It could be that it's a reminder of something, or that it makes them feel connected to a family member. My reason is the latter.

The moon. I was the daughter of the goddess of the moon. I hadn't grown up with her around. I couldn't even claim to know her. But walking in the moonlight had held a special appeal for me. I preferred it to the sun. In the night, even the most inexperienced hunter could be invisible.

I stood motionless, my face slightly upturned, angled to face the sky. I felt like I could drown in it. It was a clear night, the deep blue sky speckled with stars.

Demigods were patrolling the border. They had stopped allowing people to leave hours ago. And, of course, entry would be monitored even more diligently. You could see in the eyes of some of them that they knew it was a lost cause. They were struggling anyway, because it was what they believed in.

So help me, I felt sorry for them.

"Atalanta," a soft voice addressed me. I didn't jump. I had heard her approaching and allowed her to do so. I wasn't used to much conversation.

"Annabeth," I acknowledged, still not turning around. Annabeth walked around to my side, her footsteps silent against the ground. Her blonde curls were pulled back into a ponytail. Her grey eyes were simultaneously confident and world weary. She looked like someone my mother would think worthy of her Hunt.

"You should be sleeping," she murmured, her eyes leaving my face and drifting to the pine tree that marked the camp's boundaries. I resisted the urge to laugh. I felt most alert in the nighttime. I could get the most done. Why waste it by sleeping?

"Shouldn't you?" I countered, crossing my arms. Her eyes returned to me. She didn't notice that I was fully dressed, unlike her. If she did, she didn't comment on it. Her gaze was hard, not quite angry, but even and intense, firm. The gaze of a girl who was used to people obeying her and trusting her. A good leader.

"I have patrol in an hour," she informed me calmly. "I was going to take a walk, then head back to my cabin and get dressed and grab my armour. You haven't been added to the rotation yet, in case you were wondering."

"Why are you patrolling?" I asked. "Didn't you say that you were only here for a couple of days?"

"I am," she agreed. "I came to check on camp and meet with a few of the counsellors and Chiron. I technically don't have to do patrol when I'm only here for a short time, but I want to do my part. Look around. Everyone here does."

I nodded, my dark hair falling into my silvery eyes. No one had noticed them yet, or if they had, they hadn't made the connection. I didn't expect them to.

I sighed and turned away, walking towards the cabins. Annabeth went the other way.

I walked slowly down the line of cabins, hovering outside number eight for a moment. I didn't enter, or even stick in my head, though no one had more of a right that I did. The door was open so I moved my body to somewhere where I could look without going in.

The bunks were all empty, neatly made. The floor was covered with dust, as if the cabin had been empty for at least a year. The Hunters. No one else would have entered.

I felt a brief surge of jealousy rise in my chest. The Hunters could openly be cared for by Artemis. They had the freedom to reside in her cabin when they came to camp. I was her daughter, and I couldn't even admit that.

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. _One day, Artemis, whether it be tomorrow or after another millennia, acknowledge me as your daughter. Please._


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. **

I watched a tiny girl hopping around on one foot, the tip of her nose cherry red in the cold. She couldn't be any older than nine. Her pigtails made her look even younger. She was smiling with excitement.

It was early, and few people were outside, but out of those that were, she seemed to be the only one who was happy. I stood watching her for a few minutes. Then I made up my mind, and headed toward her.

"Hi!" she chirped, looking up at me. I cocked my head and looked at her, my gaze frankly curious.

_What would it be like, _I wondered, _to be like her? To be happy, and able to go through life without everyday being a series of trials? To not have to choose between hunting monsters for all eternity, simple immortality, and being slaughtered by the gods for the crime of existing?_

"Hello," I finally answered. Her smile brightened. She wasn't carrying any weapons that I could see. I frowned. Here, even the youngest carried weapons. Then I noticed the hair clip that held back her bangs.

It really wasn't very common for a demigod to get a magical gift from their parent, so it wasn't likely that this girl had one. But if she did, that made me curious as to who her godly parent was.

"What cabin are you from?" I asked her. Her grin broadened. Gods, did she ever stop smiling? It was starting to make me tired. "And what's your name?"

"Apollo's!" she exclaimed. "I'm Tesni. What about you?"

"Hermes," I answered, then clarified. "I'm the child of a minor god, so I reside in the Hermes cabin. My name is Atalanta."

I tried to walk away from her, but she followed me, skipping along. Then she did it. She asked the question that I had been praying no one would ask. The one even Chiron hadn't thought to ask. "What minor god?"

"Aether," I invented frantically, while mentally berating myself. I had known that that question would be coming soon, so why hadn't I thought of a response? Aether was the first god I had been able to think of. I was sure there was some sort of hole in that excuse.

"What's he the god of?" she wanted to know. This girl was smart. "I haven't heard of him before."

"He's the god of the upper air and light," I explained, looking past her at the horizon. The dark sky was lightening, orange and pink streaking the sky. Sunrise. Artemis and Apollo together in harmony. The moon not yet gone, and the sun not fully there.

We stood by the arena in silence for a moment, Tesni and I, daughters of the sun and the moon. It was quiet, peaceful, until a girl clad in armour came sprinting over, yelling my name.

"Annabeth?" I asked, bemused. She took a moment to catch her breath. Her voice had been urgent, but she was still calm, confident. I felt a surge of admiration rise in my chest. I had never felt that emotion that strong toward anyone before. Annabeth was someone who would always succeed in whatever she chose to do. She could think rationally, no matter the situation, and come up with a logical solution. And no matter the situation, she would glide through it gracefully, with strength and bravery.

"Pack a bag," she ordered. "We have a quest to go on."


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own the Percy Jackson characters in this. **

I checked over my weapons and my bag, ignoring the confusion. I had tried to question Annabeth, but she had refused to answer any questions until I packed and met her at Thalia's pine.

My packing had been very efficient. My bag contained two changes of clothes, a few bottles of water, a few granola bars, a canteen of nectar, a baggie of ambrosia, and a blanket. I had two knives hidden up my sleeves and a bow and quiver at my back. All ready.

I cast a cursory glance around the cabin. None of the demigods had so much as stirred. I shouldered my bag, and headed outside.

I jogged toward the borders of the camp. With my sharp eyesight, I noted Annabeth heading in the same direction, a little ahead of me. I picked up my pace so I could catch up to her.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" I demanded, not bothering with pleasantries. Annabeth turned to face me, not breaking stride. Her stormy eyes were dark with anxiety.

"A friend of mine just contacted me," she explained. "She says that the Hunters of Artemis need my help. Apparently, I have to grab another camper and meet up with her. Thalia's the toughest person I know. She would never ask for help...unless something really bad was going on."

I shrugged. Annabeth reached for the hilt of her dagger, gripping it tightly. "I hope you can walk far, Atalanta. We've got ten miles to go."

* * *

><p>I took a sip of water, tossing a bottle to Annabeth. She caught it without comment, unscrewing the cap to gulp some down. "How much farther?"<p>

Annabeth hesitated, glancing around. "I'm not sure. I'm not..well, I've never..."

"Needed to learn how to measure distance in the middle of nowhere?" I completed. She bit her lip in vexation. "It's a useful skill, you know. You should know how far you've gone when you walk."

"Don't be condescending," Annabeth hissed, her eyes narrowing. I held back a soft laugh, pushing strands of dark hair out of my face. "Shouldn't you know how far we've gone?"

"I do. That wasn't what I asked. I don't know where we're going, so I don't know how far there is to go," I explained with mock patience. Annabeth's anger seemed to dissipate slightly. She sighed heavily, glancing up at the sun.

"Just keep heading this way. We'll know when we get there." Annabeth's voice was edgy, tense. I didn't know why. Then it hit me.

Annabeth was brave. There was no denying it. Her fear wasn't for herself. And that was the source of her anxiety. She had known Thalia, and apparently she needed help. There was no way Annabeth could get to her any faster. She was scared she would get there too late.

The Hunters of Artemis. We were going to meet with the Hunters of Artemis. Damn. If there was anyone who could figure out who my mom was, it was them. She wouldn't give it away if she was there. But none of these Hunters were idiots, and they had all spent years by her side.

"Annabeth?" I asked, my usually confident voice hesitant. "Can you tell me how you met Thalia?"

Annabeth reached for her leather necklace, rubbing a white bead. Her eyes were distant. I didn't think she was going to answer me. That doubt had hardened into certainty when she spoke up, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I ran away from home when I was seven," she told me. For the first time since we had met, she didn't seem to want to meet my eyes. "I wandered around on my own for a few weeks, before I met Thalia and...someone else. They were happy to take me along with them.

"They had been wandering together for about two years. They kind of adopted me as a little sister. A bunch of monsters cornered us on Half Blood Hill. Thalia told me, our Keeper, Grover, and...that other guy to go run the remaining few metres to safety. We didn't want to leave her, but she insisted. She took her final stand at the crest of Half Blood Hill."

I didn't comment. But I noticed that Annabeth had quickly turned away from me., her grey eyes brighter than normal, glittering with tears.

"Hey," I said suddenly. Annabeth's blonde head jerked up. I pointed toward a little bit west. A group of teenage girls sat in the shadow of a grove of trees. A dark haired girl was waving at us. I couldn't make out features from here, but Annabeth's eyes, so recently glimmering with a film of tears, lit up.

"Thalia!" she exclaimed, breaking into a full out sprint. I loped after her, a few paces behind. Annabeth nearly crashed into the dark haired girl, throwing her arms around her.

The girl hugged her back, then extricated herself from Annabeth's embrace. She looked at me with piercing, blue eyes. She wore the silver circlet that marked her as my mother's lieutenant. "Do I know you?"

"No," I answered quickly, before Annabeth could say anything. I held out my hand for Thalia to shake. "My name is Atalanta. I'm a new camper."

Thalia slowly reached out to take my hand, looking vaguely impressed. Her eyes sparkled with life. "Really? You've survived on your own for this long? You're, what, fifteen?"

I held back a rueful smile. Over three thousand, I wanted to say. But despite that, I would say the age I had become immortal. "Sixteen. But I'm not the child of a major god, so not too many monsters come after me. I'm a daughter of Aether."

Thalia nodded. She turned back to Annabeth. "I need help, Annabeth. I had my Hunters split into two hunting parties after two monsters. Mine was fine, no major injuries. I had Phoebe lead the other one. A couple wounds, things we can easily heal."

"Then what's the problem?" Annabeth prompted. Thalia paused.

"Artemis wants Phoebe, Alanna, Diana, and I to meet her at Mount Othrys. Can you and Atalanta take my younger Hunters to Camp Half Blood?" Thalia asked in a rush. "Some of them will be staying around here, but only the ones who I am positive can take care of themselves."

Annabeth nodded. Her grey eyes were narrowed with worry. She reached out to place a hand on Thalia's shoulder. "What about _you? _Take care of yourself, Thalia."

Thalia flashed a cocky grin, exposing white, even teeth. "Who, me? Come on, an army of monsters wasn't enough to kill me. Nothing's enough to keep me away from this fight."

By now, the rest of the Hunters had drifted over. Two stood on either side of Thalia, flanking her. The others stood behind them, weapons within reach. Thalia clapped her hands together. "Okay, Hunters. Phoebe, Alanna, Diana, you're with me. Kathryn, you're leading the group I spoke to, and staying here. The rest of you..."

Thalia's blue eyes were gleaming. She allowed a slow smile to spread across her face. "How do you guys feel about a trip to Camp Half Blood?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi. Sorry this chapter took so long. I couldn't figure out what to do with it. So...read and review? And if you like Harry Potter, would you go check out some of my other stories? They're being neglected. They have no love.**

The Hunters all started talking at once, complaining and whining in a deafening clamour. I winced, holding a hand to my ear. Annabeth turned to Thalia, jerking her chin toward the group of girls. Some of them were over a thousand years old. You'd think they'd have more control.

"HEY!" Thalia yelled. Silence fell. Thalia smiled sarcastically. "_Thank _you. Now if you'd all stop acting like you're six, we can move on."

She paused to glare at one of the girls. The younger girl had her arms crossed over her chest, a pout affixed on her face.

"For those of you who didn't understand, that wasn't a question. That was an order. Artemis wants a few of us to get stuff done. Too many Hunters will get in the way. Thus, you guys are going to Camp Half-Blood. I want you to get your butts over there without complaining. Annabeth and Atalanta will take you."

Before anyone could voice a complaint, Thalia whirled around to storm away, three girls following her. Annabeth stared after her. Then she turned to me, hissing, "She left us with this? I'm going to kill her."

Annabeth turned to the Hunt, a confident smile on her face. "For those of you who don't know, I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena. This is Atalanta, daughter of Aether."

I flinched almost imperceptibly as a Hunter who looked about twelve looked at me curiously, head tilted to one side. I forced a smile, shaking hair in front of my face. She shifted her gaze to Annabeth. "Is this really necessary?"

"You heard Thalia," Annabeth told her. "What's your name?"

"Serena."

"Serena, I don't want to have to argue with you. We have to get to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. There's a war going on. We need all the help we can get," Annabeth reminded her. "That includes you. You'll still be fighting, still serving Artemis. Just not directly. Just through us, not Thalia."

Serena glanced quickly at the taller girl at her right, then at me. Finally, her gaze returned to Annabeth. She twirled her dagger between her fingers and sighed theatrically. "Fine."

* * *

><p>The Hunters, I realized, made terrible travelling companions. Maybe it was because these were the youngest and the least accomplished, or maybe because their goddess and lieutenant were both gone. Whatever it was, most of them refused to shut up.<p>

I blocked them out, focusing on the walk. I emptied my mind of all thoughts, of every sensation. I walked.

I couldn't do it for long. Eventually, my eyes wandered to the Hunter beside me.

That could have been me. I could have chosen to join the Hunt. I could have had companions.

What would my life have been like? Would I have been able to laugh and joke and complain?

I realized the girl was looking back at me, an amused glint to her eyes.

"You know," she began thoughtfully, flashing me a grin, "Aether wasn't the best choice."

"What?" I asked blankly. The girl stared at me, her face a cross between amused and angry.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" she demanded, her voice growing harsh. "I mean, really. Of all the gods you could have picked...Logically, of course, it was a good choice. Primordial god, the children of whom don't get chased by too many monsters...But you made the mistake of saying that in front of me. An actual daughter of Aether. I can tell that you aren't one."

I swore harshly in my head. Why hadn't I thought of that? What were the odds that I would encounter an actual child of Aether, amongst the Hunters and a camp with cabins for only the twelve major gods?

I was distracted from my thoughts and horrified by the girl's next question. "So, Atalanta – who are you?"


End file.
